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LINDSEY PARISH COUNCIL

CLERK TO THE COUNCIL

A Parish Council Meeting was held on Wednesday 14th March 2018 and commenced at 7.30pm in the village hall. The Chairman, Mr. Arthey welcomed the following Parish Cllrs. to the meeting – R Corcoran, M Hainsworth, Mrs R Howe, Mrs F Moore, A Sturgeon and D Waldron to the meeting. Also present were District Cllr. B. Hurren (in part), PC 1294 Cristian Thomas (in Part) and Mrs V Waples (Clerk).

A statement was read out indicating that, in accordance with the changes in legislation, the public and councillors were permitted to film, record, photograph or use social media in order to report on the proceedings of the meeting. A full transcript of the statement is available from the Clerk upon request.

1. APOLOGIES OF ABSENCE i. There were no applicable apologies of absence. ii. Apologies for absence were noted from County Cllr. Finch.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: i. There were no declarations of interest for the agenda under discussion. There were also no declarations of gifts of hospitality received exceeding £25. ii. There were no requests for dispensations for the agenda under discussion. iii. The Council was reminded that all Councillors were required to monitor their Register of Interest and to notify changes within 28 days of the change occurring. The Councillors were asked to review their own Register of Interests and advise the Clerk of any changes.

3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of 17th January 2017 were signed as true and accurate records, aif.

4. TO RECEIVE AND CONSIDER REPORTS ON MATTERS RAISED AT PREVIOUS MEETINGS & THOSE RAISED IN BETWEEN TO THE PARISH CLERK – none had been raised since the last meeting.

5. TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING MATTERS AS RAISED WITHIN THE PUBLIC FORUM: i. Sudbury SNT – it was reconfirmed that there was now a link direct from the Council's website to Sudbury SNT which would contain the latest newsletter and other facts of note. The Clerk confirmed that all items received via the Police Connect Service affecting Lindsey and surrounding areas were circulated as and when received. The Chair invited PC1294 Thomas to address the meeting and stated that the Parish Council appreciated the visit from the Sudbury SNT and thanked him for attending. PC1294 Thomas informed al that he was in attendance to respond to / take away any issues that might be of relevance to the village. He appreciated that the forms on website are very generic and not necessary local in reporting. The following topics were covered: • Issues with 101 call centres – call takers have a pro-forma method of responding to initial calls which are only passed through • Community based issues can be emailed direct to PC 1294 Thomas. • Ram raiders – specific team looking at this. • County line drug issues – accessing vulnerable communities and operating under the radar. • Break-ins – mainly outbuildings – power tools and works vans. • Farm Watch – working well re suspicious vehicles and hare coursing • Looking at ways of building contact with rural villages to pass on information • Break-in in Lindsey - isolated incident – noted that any emergency responses for Lindsey would be from either Sudbury or Stowmarket. • Drones – have been used in certain types of policing activity already in .

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018 565

• PC Bourne; PC Sippitt; PC Thomas all are responsible for this area. • Are you (Suffolk Constabulary) on top of crime & response to crimes? – at times yes, but it is worrying that there is no opportunity to be proactive. General every day crime is being tackled but drugs are the main issue.

ii. District Cllr. Bryn Hurren was invited to submit his report and mentioned the following: • Ivydene had received planning permission for the new dwelling • District budget agreed – noted that increases would be BDC +3.25%; County Council +5%; Police +6.8% . It was noted that whilst Babergh District Council collects 100% of the council tax levied it only keeps around 8%. • Local Plan – still going through process. 13k submissions had been received. It was hoped to have a locally workable plan around August to be signed off late 2018. • Boundary commission – different suggestion to the recommendation submitted – if approved, Lindsey would no longer be part of Boxford Ward and both Lindsey and Kersey will go into a different one with Elmsett. • Merger with MSDC – there is to be a business case for the merger and a report will be submitted on the telephone poll carried out. • Move to Endeavour House – he understood that this was over budget and some issues still needed resolving. • Angel Court, Corks Lane – development now coming on stream – 20 affordable homes will be built. iii. County Cllr. James Finch had previously submitted his apologies due to a conflict with other meeting. He had submitted a written report which can be seen at Appendix A. • Kersey crossroads –sight lines still an issue and road sign still in road – County Cllr. Robert Lindsay has been informed of this as the County Councillor for Kersey. Noted it was stated that there was no money in the pot to put the sign up or replace it. The Clerk was asked to flag this situation up once again to Suffolk County Council. iv. There were no comments from the members of the public present.

6. CORRESPONDENCE: general correspondence was brought to the Council's attention and in particular: i. To consider and formulate a response to the new draft recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for Babergh District Council – www.lgbce.org.uk The meeting agreed that the proposal to put Lindsey into the South East Cosford Ward did not make sense and could not be supported by the Council for the following reasons: • Cuts off all the benefice villages with the main benefice Church • Whilst Lindsey might be back with Kersey both had been included within a strange ward. , Kersey and Semer are understandable but the others have very little in common with Lindsey. • The proposals did not reflect local communities, nor did they reflect the local settlement hierarchy. It was agreed that the following amendments to the proposals should be submitted – and moved out of Box Vale and into to SE Cosford; Kersey and Lindsey moved out of SE Cosford and into Box Vale. This would allow the catchment area to follow the electorate division. It was agreed that the names being proposed were better than those previously suggested. ii. To consider and formulate a response to the Suffolk Highways: Community Self Help Scheme Survey – Council has spoken in the past on verge cutting. Noted both Chelsworth and Cockfield have taken on some of the verge cutting already due to the inability of Suffolk County Council to react to extensive growing periods. The Council was reminded that it had previously been contacted by a resident to carry out additional verge cutting at an hourly cost. It was agreed that the PC should still expect the County Council to do the work that it has previously undertaken and if more regular works are required then the Parish Council will contract someone locally provided insurance and risk assessments were in place, aif. Agreed that the County Council should be expected to carry out their own areas of responsibility and if not carried out should tell them so.

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iii. Mott MacDonald – River Brett Flood History – the Environment Agency had commissioned Mott MacDonald to undertake hydraulic modeling of the River Brett and part of this modelling was to undertake a comprehensive flood history analysis. The meeting confirmed that although Kersey Stream feeds into the Brett there is no experience of flooding from the Brett in Lindsey. iv. Email thank you from Mark Terndrup re Ivydene – Council noted the contents of the email.

7. FINANCIAL REPORT i. To consider and receive the schedule of Receipts - it was confirmed that £108.03 had been received since the last meeting by way of a VAT reclaim. ii. To consider and approve the verified items awaitingg authorisation - a copy of the Schedule of Verified Invoices awaiting payment was circulated to all members and discussed. It was recommended that the schedule be approved, aif. A copy of the details for these payments can be seen at Appendix B on minute page xxx The Chair asked that a cheque be raised in favour of Barking Engineering to allow the order to be placed for the Beacon Brazier and the 25% deposit be paid over in accordance with their terms and conditions. It was noted that Barking Engineering was happy to proceed with work on the Beacon in accordance with requested timescales. Council approved this course of action and signed the cheque to allow the order to be placed, aif. District Cllr. Hurren agreed to enquire, on the Council’s behalf, at the Hadleigh Thrift Shop as to whether a donation might be possible for the shortfall. iii. To consider the Council's financial position to date - the financial position of the Parish Council as at 14th March 2018 was presented to the Parish Council. Council's funds stood at £83.82. It was noted that this reserve was lower than the Council would like and that it was taking steps to put the Council’s Reserves on a healthier footing. A copy of the financial position can be seen on minute page xxx. iv. To consider further the costs involved with the WW1 Beacons of Light Commemoration for 11th November 2018 and Suffolk County Council’s response for a call on Councillor Finch’s Locality Budget – noted that the form had been submitted and SCC had agreed to the sum of £500. This would be held as a commitment until the project commenced. The Clerk confirmed that she had now asked for the money to be transferred. v. To consider the costs involved in the moving of the Village Sign to the grassed triangle opposite the Village Hall – to move village sign to the grass triangle and to supply a piece of oak to act as a spur post to bolt the original sign £330. Noted that the sign needs to be moved as it will be sited too close to the new fencing that will be installed in the Village Hall Car Park. vi. SALC/NALC - Reform of Data Protection Legislation & introduction of the General Data Protection (GDPR) Legislation – to consider further information received from SALC on the Data Protection Officer(DPO) and works required for compliance with reform of the Data Protection Regulations – it was noted that NALC had produced a GDPR toolkit which the Clerk had started to analyze. To date an audit had been carried out on the data sets that the Parish Council hold; how they are stored and for how long. There is no finalized guidance at this moment and this was a work in progress. Privacy documents; consent documents; retention documents are all being worked on. It was noted that a DPO will still need to be in place who will audit the work carried out. The Clerk was asked to ascertain whether there were any insurance policies that will be in place for breach of the GDPR and what arrangements are in place on a county wide basis. It was noted that the costs quoted by the DPO Centre for its role as a DPO had been reduced to £120 per annum and Council noted that this was to be pursued further. vii. To review the Council's Financial Risk Assessment including the Council's Asset Register – Council reviewed the Council’s Financial Risk Assessment and General Risk Assessment Documents and found them to be an accurate assessment of the risks facing the Council in carrying out its duties and being responsible for public finances. Council reviewed the Asset Register and agreed that it was a fair description of the assets held by the Parish Council and noted that all assets named on the asset register were covered under All Risks within the Council’s Insurance Documents. The Chair made the meeting aware that the second noticeboard at the front of the Village Hall would be removed once the Village Hall fence has been erected. viii. To review the effectiveness of the internal control and the scope of internal audit –– Council reviewed the Internal Controls Document and agreed that the measures undertaken by the Council to safeguard public finances were appropriate for a parish the size of Lindsey.

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018 567

The completed Internal Control Document for the year ending 31st March 2018 was presented to all and approved by the meeting. Council was also in agreement that the audit terms of reference and audit plan were appropriate for a parish the size of Lindsey. ix. To review the Council's Standing Orders and Financial Regulations – Council reviewed both its Standing Orders (SO) and Financial Regulations (FR) and agreed changes to the contract values under SO18c & 18f and FR11 (footnote only) as per guidance received from NALC under LTN 87 Procurement. x. To confirm the appointment of the Council's Independent Internal Auditor – Council reviewed the Audit Plan being proposed and agreed that it would appoint Mr T Brown, CPFA as its Internal Auditor for the year ending 31st March 2018, aif

8. PLANNING APPLICATION: i. To consider the following planning applications: there were none that had been received for the Council to consider ii. To note the planning applications determined by Babergh District Council as the Local Planning Authority: Council noted the following planning determinations: • Permission for the construction of concrete base for horse walker @ Paddock At Newlyn, Rose Green Road, Lindsey • Permission for the erection of 1 new dwelling @ Ivydene, The Tye

9. PARISH COUNCILLOR'S REPORTS i. Potholes – Waldingfield Rad – one outside of Folly Farm Barn and one ½ way between Rose Green crossroads and Folly Farm. ii. Footpath from the Lodge to Merrymores – there appeared to be an issue with regards to access to the footpath. A walker had approached Cllr. Sturgeon and gad appeared to be aggrieved that the footpath was not accessible. The Clerk was asked to inform the Rights of Way Office that there is a missing fingerpost at both the northern and southern end of Footpath 5. Access via southern end is a problem as the steps are possibly eroded. In essence the footpath was obstructed along the route and difficult to manoeuvre along. iii. Fingerpost at southern end of Footpath No 4 is on the ground. iv. Service in Lindsey Church on Easter Sunday – extended communion after the family service.

There being no other business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.40pm

DATE OF NEXT MEETING Annual Council Meeting on Wednesday 9th May commencing at 7.00pm followed by the Annual Parish Council Meeting in the Village Hall, Church Road, Lindsey.

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018 568

Appendix A – A Summary Report for Lindsey Parish Council Meeting on 14th March 2018 From James Finch – County Councillor for the Stour Valley Sadly, Council Tax has to rise On 8th February I attended Suffolk County Council’s Council meeting which voted to increase council tax in Suffolk for the first time since 2010. A 2.99% increase was approved, along with a 2% adult social care precept, meaning taxpayers will be paying an increase of a little under 5% more for county council services than last year. A council tax rise was not surprising – we had mentioned it last year, with a 1.99% increase put forward, with the adult social care precept at 3%. Despite the small change in the way the tax is being divided, the increase remains the same.We spend about half a billion pounds providing services every year in addition to the circa £600k which is direct government funding (ring fenced) for our schools. Like the majority of councils in England, we accepted a four-year financial package from the Government, covering the period from 2016/17 to 2019/20. It also, helpfully, provides some certainty about our funding. However, we can’t rely on this alone. We were successful in our bid to be one of 10 areas where we can retain 100% of business rates generated here in Suffolk, which will help. But there still remains a budget gap. In 2018/19, the gap is £26.8million. That is the difference between the amount of money it will cost to provide essential council services in Suffolk and the amount of money we actually have to spend. We are required by law to have a balanced budget so we have therefore had to find ways of closing that budget gap. We have proposed a range of savings totalling to £23.9m, leaving us with a gap of £2.9m remaining – which will come from our reserves. We have been careful to limit the use of our reserves as once that money has been spent it’s gone forever and won’t be available to close any future budget gaps. This isn’t a new way of working for Suffolk County Council. We’ve successfully managed the financial challenges laid down in the Government’s austerity programme and have made savings of £236 million between 2011 and 2018. The response to these challenges has been measured, pragmatic and innovative, and designed to protect front line services as much as possible. Demand for services has increased since the last council tax increase and it continues to. We also have an investment programme totalling nearly £100m this coming financial year, which includes building new schools, extending and improving existing schools, investing in Suffolk’s road network, continuing to provide better broadband coverage across the county and delivering two major river crossing projects – the Third Crossing in Lowestoft and the Upper Orwell Crossings in Ipswich. Being clear about your goals, listening to people and being accountable for your actions are fundamental principles in public services. When the people of Suffolk voted in this council last May, it was on the basis of a clear manifesto. We are introducing business plans, which set out how we will deliver services and how we will measure performance. These are based on three core priorities – inclusive growth, healthcare and wellbeing, and efficient and effective public services. These are deliverable because of the hard work and commitment of our councillors and staff – working with our partners, businesses and residents to make Suffolk a healthier and more prosperous place to live and work. Yes, the latest Autumn Budget confirms that the pressure on public spending is likely to continue. But this is not news to us and we have a positive response. We don’t hang about in Suffolk, we get on and do everything we can to get the best possible outcomes for the people we serve. We do this by listening to what people say and giving them an opportunity to influence the difficult decisions we have to make. This council tax increase wasn’t taken lightly and every penny will be put to the best possible use. Our staff, I and my fellow councillors will make sure of that.

More than 97% of students receive their preferred Secondary School on National Offer Day This year, Suffolk County Council received it highest number of applications from parents and carers indicating which secondary school they would prefer their child to be educated at from September 2018 in Year 7. The total was 7,447. Last year it was 7171. 91.61% of applicants received offers for their first preference school and 97.23% of applicants received an offer for one of their top three preferred schools. This percentage figure of 91.61% equates to a total of 6822 pupils. Families who applied online will be able to log on to the council’s Online Service from today to see their school place offer, and will receive an email to confirm this offer. We will also send letters by second class post today (March 1), to all applicants, including those who made a paper

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018 569 application, to give more details about the next steps open to them. With the current extreme weather, some letters may be delayed by a day or two as the postal service works hard to maintain their services and schedules in this cold spell. Any parents or carers with children born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007 and who have not yet applied for a school place should make an application immediately by downloading the CAF1 application form from the council’s website: www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions. For further information, such as how to view your offer online, and for guidance on what to do if you have not received your preferred offer, please read our School admissions FAQ page. www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-places/school-admissions-faqs

Proposal to change home to school travel On Wednesday 28 February 2018 the consultation to help find a long-term solution to providing affordable home to school transport closed. In Suffolk, £21 million of taxpayers’ money is spent every year getting children to and from school. Suffolk County Council has already introduced a number of efficiency changes to the service saving around £2.6 million. Now, like many other councils across the country, the authority needs to consider making more significant changes across a number of areas, including home to school travel. The consultation highlights the challenges faced with funding and asks residents for their thoughts on how we adapt to the changing education landscape in Suffolk as schools continue to become more independent, moving away from being historically under local authority control, with new powers to set their choice of admissions, adjust term dates and manage school travel plans. The council’s current school and post-16 travel policies go above legal requirements, the consultation seeks views on changing these policies, giving the opportunity to explore local solutions as well as three alternative options for children aged 5-16 and 16 plus. Over 3500 people have already responded to the school and post-16 travel consultation surveys, over 151 people attended one of the consultation workshops and 36 people attended the ‘Have your say’ event where alternative solutions were presented. All of the feedback gathered will be carefully and thoroughly considered by Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet in June 2018. www.suffolk.gov.uk/schooltravel

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018 570

Appendix B - Financial Report

Items received since the last meeting Income Description Nett VAT Gross Ref Power 14.03.18 HMRC – VAT reclaim 108.03

Items to be Authorized for Payment Expenditure Description Nett VAT Gross Ref Power 14.03.18 V Waples - Clerk's Salary & Expenses 274.75 0.00 274.75 422 LGA 1972 s111 & 112 HMRC – PAYE due 5117.20 0.00 117.20 423 LGA 1972 s140 Barking Engineering – Brazier 175.00 35.00 210.00 421 LGA 1972 s144

Financial Report

Date £ Opening Balance 17.01.18 577.74 Add Income Received December – March 108/30 Less Expenditure Incurred December – March 848.51 Less Expenditure from verified list 14.03.18 601.95 Closing Balance 14.03.2018 83.82

Bank Reconciliation

Community Account Statement 1 1426.25 Less unlogged cheques At 14.03.2018 1450.46 Plus unaccredited income At 14.03.2018 108.03 Reconciled Total 83.82

So signed by the Chairman at the meeting of 9th May 2018